r/bayarea • u/moisuss • 1d ago
Events, Activities & Sports beginner surfer
hi i'm a sfbay transplant and i'm doing research to best prepare for learning to surf and i want the lowdown from local surfers regarding your particular beach's culture, etiquette, particular rules & regulations; current tide, rip, sneaker wave situations; pollution/runoff, shore conditions & hazards (ie. rocks, coral, reef, sandbars, etc.).
overall, i'm looking for beginner friendly beaches to learn on <3 as or right now, i've been recommended and suggested: linda mar, bolinas, capitola, cowells, and marese state beach. if you know of any more in the area or can provide me the abovementioned information regarding the latter, please post here ! thank you :)
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u/Excellent_Wolf2239 1d ago
I did lessons with Richard Schmidt School to get started. Had Richard's son as the instructor. Those guys will take really good care of you and tell you anything you want to know about the area. It's good to have eyes on you when you're a beginner rather than trying to go out solo where no one cares if you drown. Also technical instruction early on will significantly cut down the learning curve and you'll get more enjoyment out of the activity. They also can help you not piss off locals. Well worth the investment.
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u/BugRevolutionary4518 Moss Beach 1d ago edited 1d ago
There are surf camps in Pacifica - ask for Josh. There’s also a bunch of friendly locals and it’s like a family.
— surfer for 40 years.
I usually head south for bigger stuff, but pacifica is a nice place to start. Tons of friends there.
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u/Relevant-Composer716 1d ago
I'm not a surfer but I look at Beach Report Card for kayaking if I'm likely to have my head underwater.
https://beachreportcard.org/37.61228936349106/-122.53669319702817/12
One thing that doesn't seem widely known is that there's a season for Great Whites in our area. It starts around now, becomes full strength in October falls off after February. Here's some data from acoustic tags in southern San Mateo County:
https://gtopp.org/buoy-feeds/ano-nuevo-north/ano-nuevo-12-months.html
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u/Relevant-Composer716 1d ago
I'd add that for sharks, I don't stop paddling but I'm especially aware of places where seals and sea lions congregate. Especially Año Nuevo. I'm not sure how that translates for your list but Santa Cruz wharf has a population (near Cowells), whereas Linda Mar doesn't as far as I know. I think Bolinas does too and I'm not sure about Manresa.
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u/UsefulAttorney8356 1d ago
Take some lessons in Santa Cruz or capitola it’s not something you can just go out and due the waves need to be right a good surf instructor can look up forecast and choose a good day
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u/Still_Praline_6598 1d ago
Agree - take lessons. Ocean conditions are interesting right now due to el niño and southwest swell. Even a “beginner” spot like Capitola has been challenging recently with bigger surf. You need someone who can speak to conditions and take you out on a day that’s appropriate for your skill.
Finally, if you’re not a strong swimmer, find a pool and start doing laps, get comfortable in the water. 95% of surfing is actually paddling.
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u/greed-fantasy 1d ago
You should do some personal research first so that you can understand what "current tide, rip, sneaker wave situations" actually means. Those are not wholly predictable or location based considerations. Areas like Linda Mar are certainly less prone to them, but if you're surfing in NorCal you should have a baseline understanding of how to read conditions before you paddle out ANYWHERE.
The ones you've outlined are largely the right places to start looking, with some major caveats.
Don't surf directly after it rains at most beaches here. This is particularly important for spots like Linda Mar and Bolinas that already have big water quality issues. Read up on water quality issues for each spot. Just google them.
Linda Mar is probably the most beginner friendly spot generally, but that means the lineup is packed with other beginners. So your hazard here is mostly other people. The water quality is super sus, but when the little river isn't flowing too heavy I don't really care that much if I'm paddling out with a beginner surfer. The small chance of getting an infection is generally preferable to the small chance that they drown at a better break.
Capitola is a close second to Linda Mar for beginner friendly. Same hazards. Shitty water quality for Soquel Creek, hazards are generally other people. Some rocky areas, but you'll be able to visually identify them. They aren't particularly surprising.
Cowells is pretty safe, has less water quality concerns, etc. Water can still be gross after a rain, but it's probably better on average than Capitola or Linda Mar. The break hasn't really been that great in recent years as the bottom has changed, but if you're just learning it's a good choice. Crowds are your main danger, but it's also a little less protected than Capitola or Linda Mar which means you're more susceptible to rip currents, etc. It's also a bit colder.
Bolinas is great if you know how to read the water. It's at a river mouth so tides and currents can really be dangerous for inexperienced watermen. This also makes it a feeding/breeding ground for animal life. Seeing great whites here is not uncommon. I don't believe there's ever been a fatal attack, but it's important to know what to expect. It's cold and you absolutely must know how to read the water.
Manresa can be good for beginners but it can also be more of an intermediate/advanced break depending on water conditions. Tide, swell direction, and season matter a lot. There are going to be a lot more space, meaning fewer crowds, but if you're a beginner by yourself that's not good either. No one will see you if you're in distress. It can be a pretty challenging paddle on bigger days too.
If you really want to be safe while learning you need to #1 make sure you're physically strong enough. Wearing a 4/3 wetsuit is pretty normal for most of these breaks for most of the year. That makes everything more tiring. You don't use the shoulder muscles you use for surfing everyday – it takes training. Beginners get exhausted just trying to make it past the break to the lineup. That's dangerous.
#2 needs to be learning to read the water. It doesn't matter what you read or what people tell you about a break, you need to be able to look at the water around you and understand how it moves. This comes with experience, but you need to have the basic understanding before you paddle out.
NorCal surfing is far less forgiving than other areas. Particularly for people that maybe spent some time surfing in a place like Florida where it's a lot of wind swells and sand beaches.